Page 35 of A Christmas Adventure

"Yeah," Violeta hesitates.

"Since when do you make cookies?"

"I never have, but I was telling Olga yesterday how my coworker brought some in for her birthday and they were really good." She sneaks another quick look at Olga, who shakes her head with narrowed eyes in an endearing gesture that makes Violeta melt. "And I got a craving, so I decided to try making them," she finishes in a rush.

Maite accepts the excuse and nods.

"Okay, but next time leave me a note. That dough needs a bit more flour," she points. "And put on an apron so you don't make a mess of yourself."

"Yes, Mom," Violeta responds in a mock military tone.

Olga takes the opportunity, while Maite has stepped out to talk to Antonio, to hurry over to Violeta.

"Looks like you're playing pastry chef today," she says with a wink before eyeing the dough. "See you at my place this afternoon?"

"Yeah," Violeta laughs, making a face. "This is your fault, you should be the one stuck doing this."

"But you look adorable." Olga blows her a kiss and walks out the door to start helping customers in the shop.

Chapter 19

It's Thursday and Violeta and Olga have been serving customers non-stop for a couple of hours. They've barely had time to talk to each other, but the knowing glances, spontaneous smiles, and subtle brushes of their hands occur whenever they get a chance. Neither of them wants to think about how little time they have left, but the week is ending and on Monday, Violeta will be traveling to Madrid. Olga can't stop thinking about it and the idea of maintaining what they have long-distance feels unbearable to her. She's not one of those people, not one of those who knows how to wait, she needs to express everything she feels and she knows that the days of waiting could destroy her. For her part, Violeta is a mess and every time she thinks about it she feels her chest tighten and she can't breathe. Her life in Madrid seems very far away now, as if it belongs to a different person she doesn't know, and that overwhelms her in an undeniable way and every time she looks at Olga and remembers that she'll be left without that tingling caused by her winks or her smiles when she noticesher, she feels that knot in the center of her chest grow in size.

"Hey, Violeta, do you mind if I hang this here?" Violeta hears her in the background, she's so absorbed in her thoughts that she can't focus and the customer repeats the question until Olga approaches.

"What is it?"

Her presence by her side, the scent of her perfume and her body heat, but above all that subtle caress Olga gave her by placing her hand on her waist for a moment, have brought Violeta back to reality. The customer, a lifelong neighbor Violeta knows because her granddaughter and she went to school together, shows them a poster she intends to hang in the glass of the shop window.

"It's a poster for the Three Kings' Day roscón contest we've organized, the neighbors on the street."

At that moment Maite comes out from the back of the store and Violeta and Olga, even though they're not in any compromising position, separate a little leaving room between them. Maite approaches the poster and reads it while nodding.

"You could sign up," says Olga, glancing at her sideways.

"Maite? No way," the neighbor laughs, "it would be playing with an advantage, but you two can," she says, pointing to Violeta and Olga, who look at each other and laugh.

"Me?" Violeta points to herself with an incredulous gesture.

"Why not?" asks the neighbor without losing that smile.

"Because I run the risk of being left without an oven, Josefina, yesterday she made some aniseed cakes and almost set the kitchen on fire," says her mother, making everyone laugh except Violeta.

She makes a face and frowns, stung when she realizes that her mother thinks she's only good for serving in the store.

"Well, I'm signing up," she says suddenly to Maite's surprise, "and Olga too."

"Me?" Olga points to herself in surprise, "leave me alone, I barely have time."

"Come on..." Violeta begs her, taking her hands.

Olga gets very nervous.

"Please, it will only be one day, the contest is decided on Saturday," she says, re-reading the poster to make sure. "Give me the satisfaction of beating you before I go."

"You beat me?" Olga also gets annoyed at the amused look of everyone present, including Maite, who loves the complicity between her daughter and her neighbor.

"That's what I said."